The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1887-10-08
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What Should Fencing Cost.

In calculating the items made neces
sary in the proper conducting of all our
farming operations, there is no one thing
that costs more in the long run, than the
| maintenance of substantial fences.
Where but little stock is kept, or fruit
is a principal crop, a large part of the in
! side fences can be dispensed with and the
cattle aud horses that are allowed to run
out to pasture can be confined in enclo
sures especially ALI ted to them, or kept
| from going where not wanted by movi
| able division fences.
In many parts of the country the pub
| lie roads even, are not fenced at all and
| the land is cultivated close up To The
bitches that mark the road Boundaries.
| There are at least three advantages to be
gained by this, one is a saving of ground
for culture that would be otherwise use
| less, IA second is that the roadsides cou id
easily be kept free from trash, such as
weeds, briars and bushes, and a third is
the freedom from SHOlc d5itts that any
fence or even "a hedge promotes.
1t is now generally admitted that no
one should be obliged to fence for tie ex-
| elusive benefit of others, and to permit
stock of any kind to pasture on the public
|
entailing needless expense upon all
| land owners. There IS some excuse for
it in new country, and i'll this country
there are large tracts OF timber unpro-
tected by fence, but the paSturage here
is not pttjltc property and the young
growth of timber should not be destroyed
by moving cattle or sheep.
But started out to give an estimated
| Of ,fl
fair way TO Go this, will be to get esti-
mates from we viii say 100 fence bull
ders, add the results together and divide
by 100 and We will have the average cost
of PANEL or rod, as the case may be,
of any given style of fence, four chestnut,
Or four hemlock boards, or five OF each.
and the relative cost OF Oak, Chestnut on
Locust posts. The cost of wire fence
may be also fixed in the same way or the
cost OF Usage Orange hedges pei rod.
| | do not know OF any one in MARYLAND
who has given the sub jet this thorough
investigation, but | have the result OF
such al inquiry made by state objection
in Pennsylvania where the conditions are
about similar to our own. The secretary
OF the State Board of Agriculture IN his
report for 1SS6 has condensed the facts
into few pages and the figures also into
one table, giving for nearly every county
i'll the state the cost OF Chestnut rails
per 100 $500 in the rough, cost per 100
pointing the same 81 90, chestnut posts
per 100 $1,000 locust SIS 90 per 100.
Hewing and mortising per 100 $1,000,
| cost OF four rail fence &C per parne! cos;
of five rail - per PANEL cost of live rail
worm fence GO per PANEL, cost of hem
lock and pine boards per 1900 feet, cost
of fence OF boards - per rod. Total cost
of five wire fence ~ cts. per rod This is
not the whole table, and the figures ad-
ded are those OF lancaster which is near
an average of the state. The cost of some
fencing material varies greatly in diff
ferent places locust posts vary from II TO
81 aud is is too low Tor the average but
then Lancaster Co., is better supplied
with this timber than some others. but
not better than Cecil Co. On the Sus-
quehauna hills it grows abuudautly and
up the Juniata in places it is the most
common tree. Our chestnut GarICnS will
grow locust quite as freely il man will
plaut few trees i'll the cleariugs to give
them start. | have seen them So glow-
ing ana believe there could be no better
Investment than to plant rocky hills aud
barren places with the timber.
Tins same report gives the cost of
Usage Hedge SO - per- I'm rois at ,fo5lr
yeas Old. or less than Scots per rod.
This is allowing % cts. per l0O for the
plants, the highest figure, Scots. per 100
is the lowest and they can be had i'll
qHa ,tHy nov tor even less good year
plants, from which the culls have leen
sorted. GEO. BALDERSroN.